property

Fun fact: Did you know that almost 80% of males and 65% of females aged 25-29 years old are single in Singapore? These percentages halve by the time people reach 34. This is why the idea of renting or buying a studio apartment in Singapore will have crossed some of our minds.

There may come a time when we wish to experience what its like living independently. By doing so, we get to decide on the furniture we want, or the design style we have envisioned for our apartment. Thus, it is important that you pick an apartment to your liking.

We’ll compare studios to one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments to figure out all their benefits. Well also let you in on the best websites in Singapore that rent or retail these apartments. Besides, you’ll also learn a lot of tips and tricks to choose the best type of dwelling for your needs.

Unlike the stock market where people understand and accept the risk that prices may fall from time to time—sometimes severely—many people who buy a house do not really think that the value of their home will ever decrease by all that much.

Indeed, historically, the housing market has not been affected by price bubbles when compared with other asset classes. That could be due in part to the large transaction costs associated with purchasing a home, not to mention the carrying costs of owning and maintaining a home—all of which discourage speculative behavior. However, housing markets do sometimes go through periods of irrational exuberance and see prices rise rapidly before falling back in line.

In this article, well discuss the causes of housing price bubbles, the triggers that make housing bubbles burst, and why home buyers should look to long-term averages when making critical housing decisions.

Singapore is widely acknowledged as an economic powerhouse and one of the worlds leading financial centres. Many global companies have their regional headquarters here. The country has an educated and technically qualified workforce, making it the first choice for startups and for established firms that need skilled workers.

All these factors have contributed to boosting the nations real estate prices. Although the last few years have seen gradually declining property values, Singapore remains an attractive destination for real estate investments.

Even though Singapore is a small country, property values in its different areas can vary widely. Which locations are considered the best for an individual investor or a first-time home buyer? Of course, the answer to this question depends upon your budget. But it is a good idea to keep several of the following points in mind when taking a decision.

Just bought your first landed property? Congratulations! This is one of the biggest milestones in your life.

As a homeowner, you’re probably excited and overwhelmed at the same time. There are lots to do before you can call this house your home.

Even if you already love your landed property, you may soon find yourself yearning for small improvements, like dark wood walls or marble flooring. This is only natural as anyone would like their new place to fit their personality and lifestyle. But where and how to begin?

A strategic position, with relatively high spending power in the Southeast Asian region along with low barriers to entry due to well-developed infrastructure and an English speaking populace makes Singapore an attractive eCommerce market for many. Singapore also has among the world’s highest internet speeds 1 and one of the highest smartphone penetration rates 2 adding to its appeal.

Recent events in 2020 have left major changes to everyone’s daily lives. With the need for safe-distancing, eCommerce in Singapore is proving itself resilient in the face of these challenges. Singapore’s internet economy dropped between 2019 and 2020 due to its high exposure to travel, but it still saw good eCommerce growth of 87 per cent as reported by Google e-Conomy SEA 2020 in the visual above. 3

With that in mind, it helps to explore the key considerations to bear in mind when expanding to Singapore’s eCommerce market.

Singapore has one of the most active real estate markets in the world, attracting everything from institutional to private investors.

While analysts say that you should be bullish on upcoming markets in developing countries, Singapore will remain an attractive choice for decades.

Just to give an example, J.P. Morgan predicts that real estate prices will double in Singapore until 2030, which speaks for itself.

[This is an updated post for this article which was first written back in March 2020 at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. I will be evaluating how the 5 stocks that I have picked have performed and whether one should continue to stick with these 5 Singapore Stocks to buy. I have also added in 2 new counters for consideration.]

The COVID-19 virus has devasted the stock market worldwide, EXCEPT for the country where it originated. Ironic as it might be, the China Shanghai Composite Stock Market Index is only down 1% since the start of the year. Comparatively, the Singapore Straits Times Index (STI) is down 4.4% YTD while the S500 Index is down 7% YTD.

[Update: The situation has dramatically changed. While the world continues to struggle against a possible second-wave of COVID-19 outbreak as economies re-opened, global stock markets have defied all-odds and staged an incredulous rebound, with the US market now a fraction away from its ALL-TIME high achieve back in Feb 2020. The China market has also rallied strongly in the last few days, propelling global stock markets along with it. There are concerns that current Chinas stock market surge is fuelled by liquidity and not fundamentals, which can potentially end in tears, just like what happened in 2015. For now, the music continues to play and the world continues to jiggle along with it.]

The top 10 largest listed companies on the Singapore exchange accounts for approximately half of the total value by market capitalisation. Learn more about these companies and what they do here.

The top 10 largest listed companies in Singapore by market cap (SGD)

This list is last updated on 24 June 2020. For the most up-to-date top ten largest listed companies, you can also visit our market screener and sort the list of shares in Singapore by market capitalisation (market cap).

DBS Group Holdings (DBSM)

DBSM is one of the largest banks in Asia, headquartered in Singapore with over 280 branches spread across 18 markets. The bank had originally been set up as The Development Bank of Singapore Limited by the Singapore government to handle the industrial financing activities for the Economic Development Board before becoming a commercial bank.

Across Canada, money-savvy millennials are taking the plunge into homeownership, knowing that its one of the best long-term investments that they can make.

Whether youre buying a house, condo, or townhome, the process can be a bit daunting and you may not be sure of where to start. Read our step-by-step guide about how to buy your first home in Canada, so you can close with confidence.

In This Article:

In this interview, Sock-Yong Phang talks about her new book on Singapore’s housing market—Policy Innovations for Affordable Housing In Singapore: From Colony to Global City. Phang is Celia Moh Chair Professor of Economics at the Singapore Management University, Singapore.

On key characteristics of Singapore’s housing market…

Hites Ahir: How is Singapore’s housing market unusual compared to the housing market in other countries?

Sock-Yong Phang: Singapore has a very high homeownership rate of 91 percent, and the government’s involvement in the housing market is rather unusual. The Housing and Development Board (HDB), a statutory board of the Ministry of National Development, is the largest housing developer. In 1960, 9 percent of the population lived in rental public housing. By 1985, four-fifths of the resident population were living in HDB flats. More than 90 percent of HDB’s housing have been sold on 99-year lease tenure to eligible households – at below market prices. Buyers can sell their HDB flats in an active secondary market at market prices after 5-years.